Adam Waller of Graham & Rosen comments on recent attempts by Beyonce to copyright her new baby’s name
http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/02/09/jay-z-beyonce-trademark-blue-ivy-carter-name/
It may sound ridiculous to trademark your baby’s name but in reality this is a very smart move for a celebrity couple planning for the future. In a culture increasingly centred on images and branding such protection is becoming more necessary for the rich and famous. Whilst on the surface it seems laughable, in reality they are planning for theirs and their baby’s future. She will grow up surrounded by product lines bearing her name and they want to make sure that they control those product lines. It is not really the baby that is being trademarked – it is the brand that the child could become or the product lines that will be launched to fans on the back of the new arrival.
You only need to look around at the number of celebrities whose name appears on a product be it perfume (David Beckham), clothing (Elle Macpherson) or those people who simply are their own brand such as Paris Hilton. Even welsh rugby superstar Shane Williams has joined the celebrity brands registering his sportswear brand “SW11” 8 months ago.
The risk of course is if you don’t register your brand someone else will. Already two competing applications seeking to cash in on Beyonce’s child’s name have been rejected. If her company doesn’t file to protect the potential brand not only could they lose out but so could consumers – getting ripped off assuming they are paying for an endorsed or licensed product associated with the superstar.
It is not just the rich and famous who should be careful to plan ahead and protect their names and images for the future. You may not be a celebrity but your brand is! If you have a brand, logo or business name that you would be lost without consider registration and lock it down for your own protection. Lock it or lose it as they say.
